1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording medium conveyance device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, as image forming apparatus equipped with a recording medium conveyance device, there have been known liquid jet recording type image forming apparatus that have a liquid droplet jetting head in which numerous nozzles are arrayed, convey a recording medium (hereinafter called paper sheets) with respect to the liquid droplet jetting head, and jet liquid droplets of ink or the like from the nozzles toward the paper sheet to thereby form an image (including characters) on the paper sheet.
In the process after image formation, the image forming apparatus reduces paper sheet deformation strain (curling and cockling) occurring due to moisture in the liquid droplets by conveying, while sucking, the paper sheet onto which the ink droplets have been jetted. The image forming apparatus effectively reduces paper sheet deformation strain by implementing drying at the same time while sucking and conveying the paper sheet.
However, when the image forming apparatus tries to suck a paper sheet in a state in which paper sheet deformation strain is already progressing after image formation, wrinkles tend to be formed on the sheet at the time of suction compared to a case where the image forming apparatus sucks and conveys a paper sheet with no paper sheet deformation strain. Consequently, improvements in technology that can suck and convey, with no wrinkles, even a paper sheet in a state in which paper sheet deformation strain has progressed to a certain extent after image formation are needed.
Likewise, when the image forming apparatus tries to form an image on and suck a paper sheet in a state in which paper sheet deformation strain is already progressing before image formation, wrinkles are apt to be formed at the time of suction compared to a case where the image forming apparatus forms an image on and sucks and conveys a paper sheet in which there is no paper sheet deformation strain. Consequently, improvements in technology that can suck and convey, with no wrinkles, even a paper sheet in which paper sheet deformation strain has progressed to a certain extent before image formation are also needed.
To that end, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2010-159127, a technology that removes wrinkles formed in a paper sheet with warm air from a warm air jetting nozzle after image formation and before suction conveyance is disclosed. It is also disclosed that the warm air jetting nozzle is configured in such a way that an angle formed between a direction of the warm air and a paper sheet conveyance direction is increased from the width direction center portion toward the side end portions of the paper sheet.